• Tejas Nair
    Tejas Nair
    258 reviews
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    The time has come when filmmakers struggle to find the right title for their films. But here, the makers have tried a googly to attract people towards their film - with a title that gives us a fair idea about what one should expect. Alas, the film has nothing to do with a girlfriend.

    The story is about Dhruv (Sharma), a skirt-chasing nimrod, trying to woo insurance agent Sakshi (Mishra) by availing one of her insurance schemes to buy a car he doesn't need or has the ability to buy. The blink-and-you-miss character of Sakshi is the closest the film gets in developing the "girlfriend" that is mentioned in the title, who is supposed to be "zaalim" (cruel). The film is nothing about a man supposedly being imposed cruelty by his girlfriend, but is something right out of the plot of a potboiler of early 2000s. Dhruv finds out that he is unable to pay the EMIs, so the loan shark Minocha (Shroff) sends his men to steal the car, repaint it, and sell it to another customer. And all this takes place in Delhi.

    So, if we were to appropriately rename the film, it should have been Zaalim Dilli or Zaalim Mumbai or Zaalim Chennai or Zaalim Hyderabad, for the events that the writers have churned out isn't exclusive to Delhi, for cryin' out loud. Loan sharks are everywhere, and they cheat people everywhere. Why make a film that showcases social issues for the heck of it? And even if you do, why the cliché?

    Unfortunately, nothing works out for Japinder Kaur Baweja as she aimlessly directs her protagonists (yes, there are 3 of them now) who move around in Delhi, screaming out stupid dialogs and carrying out an implausible sting operation to get back that car which has already been repainted yellow and sold to a scumbag of a kid. There is this annoying background music that plays throughout the film, irrespective of the sequence. I wonder if it was Miss Japinder's cousin who produced this background score that will make A R Rahman move to catering.

    There are some random social issues that are being addressed here, but if you are searching for something original, go watch Court (2015) that will probably hit the theaters in April 2015. The cast don't help much, and if Jackie Shroff doesn't stop behaving like this, I'm afraid he's going to permanently damage his rough-stuff type image. Playing a malevolent and debauching villain isn't the best element to create humor. Ira Dubey seemed like the only wise person in the whole of film cast and crew.

    BOTTOM LINE: There is no entertainment to be expected from this poorly made comedy drama that, for starters, is nothing like it claims to be. Avoid!

    Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

    Profanity: High

    April 08, 15